I often talk with people who say they wish they could read more. Usually, it’s, “I really want to read, but I don’t have time,” which is actually true for most folks. Few of us have whole afternoons or nights to devote to finishing War and Peace in a week.
My friends who say they don’t have time to read are like my friends who say they don’t have time to exercise — perhaps they just don’t want to do it. They believe the activity is valuable, but they content themselves by planning to do it — later.
There’s no time like the present to become a reader. You can fit reading into your schedule with a few modifications to your concept of what reading requires.
Getting through a book does require you to have some reading skill, and some people either didn’t get that skill as children or weren’t encouraged to do it, so they don’t see themselves as readers as adults.
But I can assure you that reading improves your ability to read. So, as Nike taught us, Just Do It — it was a slogan to get us exercising, and it works for reading as well.
Start by finding a reading time that works for you. You don’t have to clear whole afternoons to read. Like you, I’m busy, but years ago I realized that if I read for at least 15 minutes a day I could complete 30 books per year. Unless I’m reading War and Peace or The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, that is. But who cares how many books you read? Whether you read 30 or three books a year, the point is to learn about something, stretch your imagination, relate to and enjoy a situation that is not your own (which is also required for understanding people in real life), and have your eyes opened.
When to read is up to you. I read every day in all genres, from the Bible to DIY stuff online and the back of the cereal box to find out how fat my Choco-Flakes will make me.
But I save my casual reading for the 15-30 minutes before I turn the light off at night. Reading in bed is so much a part of my routine that I can hardly get to sleep without it (and it’s cheaper than sleeping pills). It used to irritate my husband to have my reading lamp on when he was trying to go to sleep, but he has gotten used to it.
You may find it easier to pick up a book for a few minutes after everyone leaves in the morning and the house gets quiet. The last few minutes of your lunch time before you go back to work is a reading time.
I also take a book with me any time I may have to wait for awhile. So tuck a paperback or your iPad in your bag when you know you’ll have to sit in a doctor’s waiting room or when you’ll be in the car for 15 minutes while someone else runs in to get groceries. I panic when I have to be still for a long period and I don’t have a book to read! And reading a well-written book is much more advantageous to your brain than reading “The 5 Weirdest Things that Ever Happened” on your phone when have some extra minutes.
Another good way to start reading is to join a book club. Both the Magee and the Mendenhall libraries offer book clubs, and they always welcome new readers. Call either or both libraries to get yourself going. You usually have a month to read the assigned book, so you can do it at a leisurely pace. If you’re not a great reader yet, discussing the book with others or just listening to their comments will help you see things you missed and give you more insight into the story than you might have picked up by yourself.
If you are just reading for yourself, choose what interests you: mysteries, romances, best sellers, classics that you’ve always meant to read, non-fiction offerings about finance or history. You can go online and find lists like “100 Novels Everyone Should Read,” “The 50 Greatest Classics,” or “Today’s Best Sellers.” Get suggestions from your friends, or go to the library, pick up a book and read the first two paragraphs. I can tell from that much of a book whether I would like the rest of it.
I try to be mindful of the books I’m choosing, and I don’t waste time on books that I consider trivial, because, as the teeshirt says, “So many books, so little time.” It doesn’t have to be a great book, just a book that’s great to you.
There are all kinds of ways to read: ipads, Kindles, hard copies (my preference) and paperbacks, which are cheaper and lighter to carry around on a trip.
What I don’t do is watch the movie of the book and think I’ve “read” it. I don’t like books on tape either. It’s too easy for my mind to drift off while the narrator is droning on, but if you learn by listening, the recorded book might work for you.
Adjust your reading plan to suit yourself, but get started. Get a book, focus your reading lamp on it, and put the word out: “Don’t bother me. I’m reading!”
